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It might be time for Tiger Woods to consider another layoff

(Update: Woods shoots final-round 77 to finish two shots out of last place. His scorecards from the week are brutal, featuring 22 bogeys, 3 doubles and 10 birdies. He left the course 80th in driving accuracy, tied for 77th in greens in regulation and 73rd in putts per round.).

Tiger Woods walks off the 18th green after completing the fourth round and finishing 18 over par in the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010. (AP)

Tiger Woods entered the weekend with two days to find his game with next week’s PGA Championship looming.

He responded with his worst round in three days – a 75 at Firestone Country Club, a course where he’s won seven times in 10 visits.

In three days, Tiger has seven birdies, 16 bogeys and one double-bogey, making you wonder if he’s going to find his game, not when.

Woods sits 78th in the 80-player field after he beat last-place Michael Jonzon (never heard of him) by one shot.

One of the big questions surrounding Woods is whether he’ll play in the Ryder Cup Oct. 1-3 in Wales.

He’s currently ninth in the Ryder Cup standings and looks like he’ll need a captain’s pick from Corey Pavin to make the team. Pavin has flip-flopped on the matter, but said at the Senior British Open he planned to have Woods on the team.

Woods insisted Tuesday he expected to play himself onto the team, but right now those words look to be nothing more than bravado from a guy who’s lost his game and his confidence.

Woods’ worst finish in a 72-hole event was his very first, in the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open, where he tied for 60th. (He tied for 67th at the 1997 Memorial, which was weather-shortened to 54 holes).

In World Golf Championship stroke-play events, he’s never finished worse than 10th.

At 11 over par through three rounds, that is his worst in relation to par through 54 holes in his career.

Add it all up and Woods is projected to drop to 114th in FedEx Standings, and as Sports Illustrated golf writer Alan Shipnuck wrote on his Twitter page, “At this point he’d be happy to be 121.”

Woods would be better off just shutting it down after next week’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, where he won’t make the cut playing like he did at Firestone.

Declining a Ryder Cup invite might be an unpopular move for a player who needs to build back some goodwill with a segment of the fan base.

But the way Tiger is playing he’d be a distraction.

Woods did hit seven fairways Saturday, just one fewer than he did the first two days combined. He also took just 26 putts.

But he hit just seven of 14 greens in regulation for the second straight day and is tied for 77th (46.3 percent), a stat in which he used to lead the tour during his reign as the world’s clear-cut No. 1 player.

Tiger’s time at the top ended some time ago, but this week it could be official if Phil Mickelson overtakes him at No. 1. (A victory by Mickelson would clinch his first No. 1 ranking, but he could still get there with a top four finish as long as Woods does not finish better than 45th.)

But Woods isn’t even close to No. 2 these days.

He doesn’t have a swing coach, his personal life continues to weigh on him and questions have even come up about his relationship with caddy Steve Williams, who has been on the bag for 13 of his major championship wins.

Woods has failed to break par in any of the four rounds of only three tournaments in his entire career, but it appears No. 4 is coming on Sunday.

How far Tiger will fall remains to be seen, but if Woods is wise he won’t let anyone see him on the golf course again until he’s ready to be there.